Winning Demons have selection options

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says Bernie Vince and Chris Dawes aren’t automatic inclusions in the Demons’ side for their AFL clash with Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.

Vince (hamstring) and Dawes (suspension) are both available for selection after missing Melbourne’s impressive round-one win against Gold Coast.

But, in a sign of the growing strength of the Demons’ squad, Roos said he would find it difficult to make room for the pair.

“If they were both available for round one we would have picked them, but the concern … is who do you drop? That’s the hardest thing,” Roos said on Tuesday.

“Clearly Dawesy and Bernie are in your best 22, but if you’re out and we win, it can be unfair on guys to drop them.

“That’s going to be the debate – is there someone we can drop to get those two boys back in?”

Former captain Jack Grimes leads a group of players – including Rohan Bail, Max Gawn and Matt Jones – who played regular AFL football for the Demons last year and will have to force their way back into the side.

“I think they see that the club is in much better shape,” Roos said.

“It’s hard for them to play seconds, but a lot of these guys are ready to put the club first.

“We’ll pick a team this week that will have 22 form players.

“It’s new in my time at the club and obviously makes the team better.”

Melbourne travel to Canberra to take on the Giants and Roos said it would be important that his players back up the performance from the upset 26-point win over the Suns.

“What you’re hoping as a coach is that the players get some belief out of that,” he said.

“We just want to try and follow up with form and hopefully become a consistent team that plays a certain brand of footy for longer than we did last year.”

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